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Payai Dunai (Saka Foot Archers)
|-|EB1= |-|EB2= Saka Foot Archers are best not employed in situations where close-combat melee is required as these archers are best suited for a supporting and harassing role. They are armed with a large recurved composite bow with a larger body and siyahs as a primary weapon and an akinakes as a secondary weapon which they can use to engage attackers in melee combat. Description These Saka Foot Archers are foot bowmen. They are dismounted tribesmen who choose to fight on foot, utilizing the advantage of shooting more accurately and releasing longer, more powerful volleys as a result of standing upon a relatively more stable and level platform than on the back of a horse. The bows they carry are a fairly large recurved composite bow, one that, with its relatively longer siyahs and body show a deviation from the traditional Skythian recurved composite bow and a transition to the later "Sassanian" and "Hun" types of more eastern steppe nomads, enabling them to outrange, outshoot, and outpower steppe nomad horse archers. These foot bowmen are the ideal counter to horse archers in a stationary exchange of missiles with the latter. However, given their advantages in returning fire from the ground, they are also extremely vulnerable to heavy infantry and cavalry charges since these foot bowmen are still suited to more of a harassing and supporting role due them being merely armed with a short sword, the akinakes of Scythian origin, and no other melee weapon. Historically, steppe nomads at times employed infantry in their ranks, even though they usually fought as cavalry. They would mount these men on camels or horses so as to keep pace with the majority of the army, which was the cavalry, and when they did battle, they would dismount from their horses and release volleys of arrows with deadly accuracy and power against their foes. In his "Geography", Strabo said that among the ranks of the Massagetae, another Indo-Iranian steppe people who were probably kinsmen of the Saka, were those who lived in the mountains, plains, marshes, and islands, and that, in addition to having excellent cavalry, they also had good foot soldiers as well. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hailing from throughout the eastern steppe lands, and the semi-nomadic tribes of the mountain ranges and river valleys of Transoxeiana, the men of the Saka peoples fight with their favoured weapon, the composite bow. These men are not fighters by trade, but merely herdsmen, hunters or farmers, who have joined the horde of a great chieftain or king in hopes of loot or social status. Although the nomadic Saka prefer to fight from horseback, these men do battle dismounted, perhaps for strategic reason, or else they hail from one of the semi-nomadic Saka tribes that haunt the borderlands of the steppe and the settled lands of Central Asia. No matter which, they are skilled archers, matched by few others. Although they may not be as organised or well equipped as their Persian or Median cousins, they have been taught to use their bows since childhood, and they are the tools of their trade in peacetime as well as in war. Although calling upon these men to join your campaign is easy, keeping them content for a longer period in the field requires plenty of loot. Generally, they are gathered for a campaign or raid, and then disband again once the campaign is over. They dress in their everyday clothes, which consist of a traditional nomad jacket, or Kurta, with a v-shaped cut. The Kurtas are made of felt, cloth or leather, depending on the time of year, and the wealth of the wearer. They wear pants of cloth, felt or leather. Unlike the mounted Sakas of the high steppes, these men wear leather boots more suited to the often rough and mountainous terrain of Central Asia. There is a multitude of hat designs known among the Saka, and a selection is seen on these men. Most prominent is the felt pointed hat, worn particularly by the Saka Tigrakhauda, or Pointed-Hat Scythians, as they were known. The hat is held up by leather straps around the wearers head, keeping the soft point upright even in windy or wet conditions. For armament, they carry the infamous composite bow used by all Inner Asian nomads at this time. (The Hunnic asymmetric bow would not become popular for some hundred years yet). The bow is made of wood, sinew and bone, and glued together for extra strength. Especially in the steppes, where access to high quality wood was scarce, the use of bone in bows was extra important. Such was the strength of the recurve of the bow, that when unstrung, it would fold backwards in the shape of the letter C. On their thighs, they carry short Akinakes, or daggers, which were useful for taking the scalp of a fallen foe. Herodotos describes how Scythian warriors would make a triangular incision into a fallen enemy's head, and then take them by the hair and shake until the scalp came off. They would then clear away any residual flesh with a rib bone, and rub the scalp to soften it. It would then be carried as a trophy on the riders saddle, clothes or weapon. In melee, they use the Sagaris axe, a pointy and slightly curved axe, useful against armoured enemies. The axes were often made of bronze, and more elaborate examples were often decorated with images of deer, lions or griffins. The Sagaris was carried in a special suspension hanging from the warrior's belt. istorically, there were a number of different peoples known by outside observers as "Saka", with different political and cultural inclinations. Although many, such as the Saka Rauka, originated on the steppe and were part of the Eurasian nomadic cultural continuum, stretching from the Hungarian Pushta to the plains of Manchuria, other groups had moved south towards the more agricultural areas of Central Asia, and adapted to a lifestyle more similar to those peoples already inhabiting these lands. This semi-nomadic, transhumant lifestyle, with people moving between semi-permanent settlements and their herds in the more remote mountainous regions had existed in the high steppes as well, but not to the same degree as were the case in southern Central Asia. Although many of these Saka still retained an affinity for horses and horse riding, they would not use horses in their daily business as would their kin on the steppe, and many would hence fight on foot. It is described by Herodotos that the Massagetae army fielded by queen Tomyris against the Persians contained large quantities of infantry, and although it may be that some of these were levies from subjugated settled populations, a large part no doubt were Saka tribesmen who fought on foot, either as archers or as melee infantry. Usage Boasting the highest range for their bows, these bowmen are excellent for battling light horse archers and other archers from afar with their bows and tearing infantry from their shield-less flank or the rear. They can also be used as last ditch infantry due to their short swords. Otherwise, they must avoid any direct damage as due to their low armor, they will fall very fast. Category:Units Category:Baktria Category:Saka